See-Saw Films acquires true story of Indian-Australian Saroo Brierley

The production company behind the Oscar-winning The Kings Speech has secured the rights to the autobiography of Saroo Brierley.

See-Saw Films, with Sunstar Entertainment, will adapt the story of Saroo Brierley, a lost Indian boy adopted by a Tasmanian couple only to be re-united with his birth mother 25 years later after scouring Google Earth and a childhood memory of his hometown.

Brierley’s autiobiography is yet to be published by Penguin, and as such the film is also untitled.

See-Saw Films’ principals Emile Sherman and Iain Canning said in a release: “As a filmmaker, Saroo’s life story is irresistible. The moment we heard it, we knew it had all the elements that make for great cinema. There is perhaps no greater human drive than the desire to find out who we are and to know our mothers. This, along with the incredible contrast between our high tech world and the streets of Calcutta, make for an unforgettable story.”

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Andrew Fraser, CEO of Sunstar Entertainment said: “This partnership marks a great milestone in the evolution of Sunstar and we’re thrilled to be working with Emile and Iain at See-Saw Films.”

Sunstar Entertainment represent Brierley as well as Australian Jessica Watson, the youngest person to sail solo around the world. Sunstar is the behind Watson’s biopic True Spirit, announced in August.